Lemon Water

Cultivating great health and enduringly glowing skin is a long game. Sure, we all need an occasional quick fix, but steady, robust health is a product of consistency and devotion. 

We’ve got rituals for this. Here are some of the simple, easy, pleasurable habits we love for nudging our bodies in the right direction.

1. Organic Whenever Possible
Choosing organic food when possible is optimal for protecting your body from harmful substances, such as glyphosate (a known carcinogen commonly used in conventional pesticides), which wreaks havoc on all aspects of our health, particularly digestion. Organic food is also higher in nutrition than conventional food. If cost is prohibitive, here is a list of the 12 foods that should always be organic, plus the 15 that are safer than most to purchase conventional.

2. Drink Lemon Water in the Morning
Ayurvedic doctors recommend drinking a 16 oz. glass of warm or room temperature lemon water upon rising for daily detoxification. While this means delaying your coffee or tea a bit, you’re giving your body a big dose of hydration and antioxidants like Vitamin C first thing. Lemon water also assists with digestion and elimination, it boosts your immune system, reduces inflammation, freshens breath, and stimulates collagen production. After drinking your lemon water, wait at least 15 minutes before consuming anything else.  

3. Swap Coffee for Matcha Tea Occasionally
Giving up coffee, even once or twice a week, might sound like sacrilege, but it will be even more delicious if you skip it occasionally. While coffee does have proven health benefits, it can be hard on your adrenals, skin, and lymphatic system. Matcha tea, on the other hand, is excellent for your metabolism and skin. Matcha is rich in polyphenols, a type of antioxidant that helps lower the amount of sebum your skin produces, making it a great option for acne-prone skin types. Matcha also contains flavonoids, which help with DNA repair and help lessen fine lines. 

4. Mindful Eating
As we all know, enjoying a well-prepared meal with people we love and taking time to savor each bite has a completely different effect than sitting at your desk, scarfing cold leftovers while scrolling through your socials. Even Harvard agrees that mindful eating leads to greater health and weight management: here are their 8 steps to mindful eating.

5. Midday Fats
If you're loving your bulletproof coffee and ketogenic diet, fabulous! Just like coffee, however, you might want to give it a break occasionally for the purpose of detoxing. By waiting until afternoon before you consume fat, you're giving your liver an advantage. This is because your liver is still detoxifying in the morning. Eating fat first thing in the day diverts its cleansing efforts into fat processing efforts. If you want to assist your body’s natural detoxification flow, hold off on fats until you get to lunch. And when you do eat fat, consider the ones listed in this post about Plant-Based Beauty Foods.

6. Go Plastic-free Whenever Possible
If you know us, then you know how we feel about single-use plastics (#LifeAfterPlastic & #BeautyUnpolluted forever!). Studies say that we inadvertently consume up to five grams of plastic per week, which wreaks havoc on our endocrine and immune systems. And, as we all know by now, plastic is even more devastating to the planet. Using plastic-free beauty products like our freshly launched Bodycare is an excellent place to start, and if you’re interested in other, simple ways to reduce plastic in your life, check out this post.

7. Vitamin C Drench
While all the previous rituals are lifestyle-based, this one is for acute moments. Vitamin C is an amazing antioxidant for your skin and should always be part of your daily diet. When you’re feeling run down, however, it can be a true superhero. Here is our best trick for drenching our bodies with Vitamin C when we’re feeling immune challenged: squeeze the juice from one fresh, organic (citrus is on the dirty dozen list!) orange into a glass. Mix in the contents of two 500 mg. capsules of good quality Vitamin C. Drink immediately. You may repeat as needed over the next few hours and days. (While large doses of Vitamin C are likely unharmful, Vitamin C can sometimes upset the stomach. If this occurs, limit your intake!)

We wish you glowing skin and radiant health all year long, and hope these simple ideas are useful.  Happy #SustainableSelfCareSunday!